Mixed fortunes for Mile End rivals

Wadham Lodge 1 Sporting Bengal 1

Sporting Bengal ended a run of three successive defeats as honours finished even against Lodge.

Imrul Gazi’s men had started 2017 in style with a 5-0 win over Waltham Forest, before losing to Burnham (2-0), Barkingside (3-2) and Eton Manor (3-1).

But they took the lead after only seven minutes with a good strike from winger Codey Cameron, who cut in from the right and swapped passes with a team-mate, before taking an extra touch and lashing a left-footed shot past the diving home keeper.

Lodge were back on level terms before half-time, as former Newham striker Vlad Sighiratau found the target, and both sides had chances to claim a winner in the second half as it ended all square.

The point allowed Bengal to climb above their Mile End Stadium co-tenants Tower Hamlets into 19th place on goal difference and Gazi took to Twitter to praise his side, posting: “Well deserved point today for my @SportingBengal lads. Let’s see if we can build on that now. Good luck @wadhamlodgefc for rest of the season.”

Sporting will now turn their attentions to the Gordon Brasted Memorial Trophy and a trip to league leaders Barking on Tuesday.

Sporting Bengal: Esprit, Da Silva, Lamb-Wilson, Mendes, Noble, Siddik, Tandon, Vaughan, Wheeler, Cameron, Wright. Subs: Cuino, McIntosh, Hussain, Miah.

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Tower Hamlets 1 Takeley 4

Struggling Tower Hamlets fell to their 11th defeat in 12 outings as Charlie Cole’s hat-trick helped Takeley claim the points at Mile End Stadium.

Ade Abayomi’s men had snapped a nine-game losing streak with a 2-0 win over Haringey & Waltham, to get 2017 off on a positive note, but were then edged out by a single Wadham Lodge goal before seeing a trip to Ilford fall victim to a frozen pitch last weekend.

Takeley arrived in east London having played just once so far this year, when they thrashed Haringey & Waltham 7-0 in a cup contest.

That extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches, since a 1-0 home loss to Clapton in late October, and they proved too strong for Hamlets thanks to Cole, who took his tally for the season to 37, to maintain their hold on fifth place.

Hamlets will hope for better when they host Hullbridge Sports, who have gone five games without a win, in a league cup tie tonight (Monday) and will be out for revenge after suffering a 3-0 loss at Lower Road in early December.